Catholic Unscripted Newsletter #2

All the Latest on our Posts & Videos: Culture, Crisis & Catholic Voices

📍 Gaza Update: Holy Family Catholic Church Struck

We haven’t actually written anything on this yet, but, on 17 July 2025, the only Catholic parish in Gaza—Holy Family Church—was hit by tank shelling, resulting in three deaths and around ten injuries, including parish priest Fr Gabriel Romanelli, a close friend of the late Pope Francis, who was lightly wounded.

The church compound had been sheltering nearly 600 displaced people, including children and individuals with disabilities. Despite the Israel Defense Forces describing the incident as a “stray shell” during military operations, Cardinal Pizzaballa has expressed serious doubts about whether it was accidental.

Pope Leo XIV promptly contacted Cardinal Pizzaballa to express his spiritual closeness, offer prayers for the victims, and reiterate an urgent call for an immediate ceasefire, dialogue, and lasting peace in the region. A joint statement from the Jerusalem patriarchs denounced the attack as a violation of international law and human dignity.

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✍️ Latest on Substack: New Posts This Week

1. Diane Montagna Answers Questions

(Posted July 14)
EWTN journalist Raymond Arroyo conducted an in-depth interview with veteran Vatican journalist Diane Montagna. We looked at the important revelations and what they mean for Pope Leo XIV.
👉 Read the full interview

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2. Our Lady of the Americas and the Prolife Cause

(July 15)
Katherine & Mark spoke to the woman who was arrested for silently praying outside an abortion centre in the UK, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, along with two of our brightest young priests, Fr. Sean Gough and Fr. Paschal Uche as they return from a pilgrimage to Guadalupe. In this interview you will learn insights into the prolife struggle in the UK right now! Interestingly, it seems YouTube really hates it when we do prolife stuff and our videos appear to be shadow banned—just look at the views compared to our usual numbers. You can watch an ad-free version of all our videos on our SubStack!
👉 Dive into the devotion

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3. Against Catholic Globalism?

(July 16)
Read this sharp critique of “Catholic globalism”—the idea that Catholicism must always mirror political progressivism—from Professor Jacob Philliips who we are pleased to welcome to our team. Jacob asks whether alignment with globalism risks compromising the supernatural mission of the Church.
👉 Read what we’re saying

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4. Synodality: Poison or Cure?

(July 17)
Gavin uses his extensive experience of the subject to give us a balanced exploration of synodality—has Pope Francis’s push for communal governance truly fostered decentralisation, or has it opened the door to confusion and factionalism?
👉 Join the discussion

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5. Some Things Are Worth Waiting For

(July 18)
A meditative piece on patience and hope, this one celebrates the value of waiting—whether in Church reform, personal conversion, or the unfolding of God’s plans.
👉 Slow down with us

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6. “Give It Back”: A Message to a Racist Church

(Also July 18)
A personal, poignant letter responding to casual racism—arguing that true justice demands more than tolerance; it requires restitution, repentance, and real solidarity.
👉 Read the challenge

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Thank you for staying with us—especially in weeks like this. Your prayerful attention, engagement, and support mean more than you know. Let’s continue to seek truth, justice, and peace—both in Gaza and within the life of the Church.

With gratitude in Christ,
Katherine, Gavin & Mark: the Catholic Unscripted Team